Grain-car door



C. M. STAFFORD.

GRAIN GAR DOOR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 4. 19 19.

Patented Mar. 2, 1920.

M W I w r m a K 7 w 6 CHARLES IVI. STAFFORD, OF HERRICK, ILLINOIS.

GRAIN-CAR DOOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 2, 1920.

Application filed January 4, 1919. Serial No. 269,603.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES M. STAF- ronn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Herrick, in the county of Shelby and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain-Car Doors, of which the following is specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain improvements in grain car doors, and it is an object of the invention to provide a device of this general character with novel and improved means for preventing the waste of grain by leakage while a car is in transit.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a novel and improved door provided with yieldable means for contact with the floor of the car when the door is in closed position so that leakage beneath the door is eliminated.

The invention consists in the details of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts of my improved grain car door whereby certain important advantages are attained and the device rendered simpler, less expensive and otherwise more convenient and advantageous for use, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth. v

In order that my invention may be the better understood, I will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view in elevation of the inner face of my improved car door in applied position with a part omitted, the coacting portion of the car being illustrated partly in elevation and partly in section;

Fig. 2 is a view in top plan of the structure as disclosed in Fig. 1

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken through the lower marginal portion of the door midway its length and through the floor of the car body; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially on the line 4.% of Fig. 1, certain of the parts being in plan.

As disclosed in the accompanying drawings, WV denotes the side wall of a car body. and which is provided with a door opening 0 having its ends defined by the vertically disposed jambs or facings J.

D denotes a grain door adapted to be disposed across the lower portion of the opening A and which is of a length greater than the width of the opening 0 so that the end portions of the door D will overlie the inner faces of the jambs or door facings J. Each end portion of the door D is provided with a longitudinally disposed slot 1 through which is adapted to be directed a shank 2. The shank 2 has its outer end portion provided with a laterally directed extension 3 overlying an outer face of the jamlo or door facing J. The extension 3 is also provided with inwardly directed teeth f or the like adapted to impinge or penetrate the adjacent surface of the jamb or door facing J. 5 denotes a plate contacting with the inner face of the door D and dis posed over the slot 1. Coacting with the outer face of the plate 5 is a clamping nut 63 threaded upon the inner extremity of the shank 2. The nut 6 is provided with an operating lever or handle 7 whereby the same may be readily rotated either to secure the door in closed posit-ion or to effect the release of the door. It is believed to be obvious that upon rotation of each of the nuts 6 in one direction the door D will be effectually held in applied or closed position without the necessity of nails or kindred securing members.

Disposed longitudinally of the lower marginal portion of the door D and overlying the inner face of said door, is an elongated resilient strip 8 of a length substantially equal to the width of the door opening 0 and the underface of said strip has applied thereto a lamination 9 of felt or other compressible fabric or material, and which is adapted to directly contact with the floor F of the car body. Each end portion of the strip 8 is provided with a longitudinally disposed slot 10 through which is directed a headed shank 11 or the like. The shanks 11 serve to hold the strip 8 to the door D while the slots 10 permit the strip 8 to have the requisite fiexure in order to assure the proper contact of the strip 8 or more particularly the lamination 9 with the floor of the car to prevent waste of grain or the like by leakage and particularly when the car sags, turns or twists.

The lower marginal portion of the door D substantially midway its length has secured to its inner face a pair of'spaced vertically disposed strips or cleats 21, and under which the strip 8 is disposed, and arranged between said strips or cleats 21 is to which a chain 20 or the like is engaged,

an expansible member 12 herein disclosed as a conventional type of coil spring. The lower end of the member 12 contacts with the central portion of the strip 8, while the upper end thereof is adapted to engage the under surface of a horizontally disposed lever L. One end portion of the lever is pivotally engaged as at 14 with the inner face of the door D adjacent an end thereof and is mounted for movement in a vertical path. Substantially midway its length the lever L has depending therefrom a pair of longitudinally spaced blocks 15 between which the upper end portion of the member 12 is arranged whereby proper coaction between the member 12 and the lever L is as sured.

The opposite or free end portion of the lever L is adapted to engage the upper end portion of a strip or cleat 16 and is held in suchcontact by a hook member 17 carried by the strip or cleat l6 and coacting with an eye 18 carried by the adjacent end portion of the lever L. When the lever Lis in contact with the strip or cleat 16 the member 12 is placed under such tension or compression to assure the strip 8 being constantly urged toward the floor 9 so that the resultant contact of the lamination 9 with the floor F will effectually prevent waste of grain or the like by leakage below the door D.

When it is desired to remove the door it is only necessar that the hook member 17 be disengaged fi'om the eye '18 and to remove'the nut 6 hereinbefore referred to.

In order to prevent bulging or the like ofthe door D by the weight of the grain within the car body, I find it of advantage to provide the central portion of the door D with an inwardly directed eye member 19 and which chain 20 is suitably anchored to a similar grain door at the opposite side of the car body or to any other suitable part of the car body.

I also find it of advantage to secure to the outer faces of the strips or cleats21 a flat member or board 22 which extends the entire length of said strips or cleats 21 and terminates above the lever L. The upper end portion of the member or board 22 is provided with an inwardly directed extension or flange 23 contacting with the inner face of the door D. By use of the member orboard 22 and the extension or flange 23 it will be at once self evident that the member 12 is protected from the grain or the like Within the car so that the functioning of the member 12 is unhindered.

From the foregoing description, it is thought to be obvious that a grain car door in carrying out my invention in practice except as hereinafter claimed. 1 I claim:

1. In combination with a door, a resilient strip carried by a marginal portion of the door, alever pivoted to the door, an expansible member interposed between the strip and lever, the movement of. the lever in one direction placing the expansible member under pressure, means for holding the lever in such position, and spaced members carried by the lever between which an end portion of the expansible member is seated.

2. In combination with a door, a resilient strip disposed along the lower marginal portion thereof and carried by the door, a lever positioned above the strip and pivoted at one end portion to the door, a member carried by the door with which the freeend portion of the lever engages to limit the movement of the lever toward the strip, releasable means for holding the lever to said member, an expansible member interposed between the central portions of the strip and the lever, said expansible member being placed under tension by the lever when said lever is held by the member, spaced members. depending from the lever between which the upper end portion of the expansible member is seated.

3. In combination with a door, a resilient strip disposed along. the lower marginal portion thereof, the opposite end portions of said strip having slidable connection with the door, 'alever positioned above the strip and pivoted at one end thereof to the door, a member carried by the door with which the lever, engages to limit the movement of the lever toward the strip, releasable means for holding the lever to said member, an expansible member interposed between the center portions of the strip and the lever, said expansible member being placed under tension by the lever when said lever is held by the first named member. I

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

. CHARLES M. STAFFORD.

Witnesses: i J. G. TORRENCE,

THOS. E. KELLER. 

